La précarité : un « concept fantôme » dans la réalité mouvante du monde du travail

In many countries, et particularly in France, the concept of precariousness is well established today in institutional et media circles, in individual and collective representations and in sociological analyses of the labour market. In this article, the author examines the substance of this concept and its adequacy with regards to the reality of work today as well as its operational utility for sociological researches. The objective of the article is not to deny the existence of precariousness as a social phenomenon nor to contest its importance, but rather to dissipate a number of false beliefs that underlie general opinions (and certain sociological analyses) as well as to draw attention to the abusive use of this concept in situations which, in some countries, do not correspond to the situation for which the concept has been elaborated.